Lawn sweeping is a conventional technique used by many homeowners, gardeners, and groundskeepers to collect unwanted debris from a lawn. Such unwanted debris may include, for example, grass clippings, leaves (mulched or whole), and/or pine needles. A well groomed lawn gives a good first impression, whether the well groomed lawn is associated with a business or a home. Furthermore, a well groomed lawn is part of living the “American dream.” For these reasons, among others, a need exists, for an improved lawn sweeper for collecting debris from a lawn.
Lawn sweepers are used in various ways for maintaining a well-groomed lawn. For example, groundskeepers will often mow a lawn, thereby creating grass clippings and autumn-shed leaves. In some instances, mulching the leaves is preferred, as many people are required to compact and bag their lawn refuse for pickup. Thus, a groundskeeper may even make multiple passes to further mulch the leaves and other lawn debris.
Current lawn sweepers generally include an assembly that connects the brush and the ground engaging wheels in order to rotate the brush at a increased pace that is a pre-selected ratio with respect to the rotation of the ground engaging wheels. One type of such assembly uses a pair of sprockets or gears that have different tooth counts and are connected by a chain to drive the brush at the desired pre-selected higher speed ratio. Other types of such assemblies have an idler gear that meshingly engages teeth formed on the ground engaging wheel and the brush shaft in order to provide the desired pre-selected higher speed ratio. The disadvantages of these assemblies are mainly that such assemblies are difficult to assemble and expensive to produce, and the ground speed at which the sweeper may be moved is limited so as to prevent damage to the brush or the associated drive assembly.
The disadvantages of current lawn sweeper assemblies outlined above, among other things, are overcome by a free-wheel drive assembly with that may be easily used in connection with a lawn sweeper assembly and enable disengagement of the brush from the ground engaging wheels.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a lawn sweeper free-wheel drive assembly that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and provides the advantages as described in this disclosure.